Taremi and Jahanbakhsh Lead Iran's World Cup Squad as Azmoun is Overlooked

Azmoun, who has netted 57 goals in 91 international appearances, was omitted from the preliminary squad and subsequently failed to make the final cut. This decision stood despite a call from Iran's Vice President, Abdolkarim Hosseinzadeh, urging his recall.

Azmoun, currently playing for Shabab Al Ahli in the United Arab Emirates, was also left out of the Iran squad in March. Local media reports suggested he had been expelled from the national team following a perceived act of disloyalty to the government.

Taremi, 33, who represents Olympiacos, together with former Brighton and Hove Albion winger Jahanbakhsh, will spearhead the attack in the tournament. The competition is scheduled to take place in the United States, Canada and Mexico from June 11th to July 19th.

Iran, who have experienced months of uncertainty regarding travel and security arrangements for the World Cup, will establish their base in the Mexican border city of Tijuana during the finals. This follows approval from world governing body FIFA for a request to relocate the training camp from Arizona.

Iran are set to play all three of their group matches in the United States. They will face New Zealand on June 15th and Belgium on June 21st in Los Angeles, followed by Egypt five days later in Seattle.

Iran's World Cup squad:

Goalkeepers: Alireza Beiranvand, Seyed Hossein Hosseini, Payam Niazmand

Defenders: Danial Eiri, Ehsan Hajsafi, Saleh Hardani, Hossein Kanaani, Shoja Khalilzadeh, Milad Mohammadi, Ali Nemati, Ramin Rezaeian

Midfielders: Rouzbeh Cheshmi, Saeid Ezatolahi, Mehdi Ghaedi, Saman Ghoddos, Mohammad Ghorbani, Alireza Jahanbakhsh, Mohammad Mohebi, Amir Mohammad Razzaghinia, Mehdi Torabi, Aria Yousefi

Forwards: Ali Alipour, Dennis Dargahi, Amirhossein Hosseinzadeh, Mehdi Taremi, Shahriar Moghanlou